TB could be rising silently

With the world preoccupied with tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, diagnosis and treatment of other deadly diseases such as tuberculosis have taken a backseat. This could result in a surge in new tuberculosis cases and related fatalities, warns a study published by Stop TB Partnership, a global body comprising government and non-government organisations dealing with TB as well as patient groups. An additional 6.3 million people can be expected to develop TB between now and 2025, with 1.4 million more people likely to die of the disease, the study says. According to the World Health Organisation, 10 million people fall ill with TB annually and 1.5 million die every year on account of this disease. A potential surge in these already high figures is an alarming prospect, especially for India which accounts for the largest number of TB cases in the world. According to the World TB Report 2019, India is home to some 27% of the world’s TB patients. An estimated 2.7 million people contract this disease every year and an estimated 1,200 people die of TB every day in India. TB cases are going undiagnosed and untreated on account of the lockdown. According to government figures, there has been an 80% drop in the number of cases diagnosed in recent months. This drop is because people cannot go to get themselves tested, diagnosed and treated, and not because there is a fall in infections.

A bacterial infection that affects the lungs, TB is a highly contagious disease. Indians are particularly prone to it as people live in crowded housing. But TB can be cured. Still the fight against the disease has not been easy. The social stigma attached to the disease prevents people from seeking treatment; they end up infecting dozens of others. Additionally, patients are required to take a combination of several drugs over a period of 24-27 months. Many find this tedious and simply give up. In recent years, newer strains of the bacteria that are resistant to treatment have emerged.

Despite formidable challenges, India has made progress in fighting TB. That is now in peril. Unlike in the case of other diseases, with regard to TB, diagnosis and treatment of patients cannot be paused till the pressure from Covid-19 eases. The costs are too high. Spiralling of TB cases will make patients susceptible to a range of other diseases, including Covid-19. Five years ago, the international community pledged to end the TB epidemic by 2030. That goal may now have become a distant dream.